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There is nothing between us. Not now. Not ever.
She repeated the words in her head over and over as she jogged along the beach. Her pace quickened with each repetition, as if she was trying to outrun the words. Or maybe her feelings for him.
He’s attractive. Charming. So what? I can think of half a dozen guys who are, too. Guys who are actually interested in me.
Bree came to a halt, as if she’d run into a solid brick wall. The phone calls from her ex that she hadn’t returned, along with a text message she’d left unanswered, were vivid in her mind. She could practically hear Alex Hunt’s voice, low and gravelly, uttering the words he’d typed that morning.
Been calling you. You’re not at your place. Where are you? I’ll only be in town for a few more days. We need to talk.
A knot tightened in her stomach. Her muscles tensed and her palms felt clammy, despite the cool breeze blowing across the water onto the beach. Bree calmed her breath and stood tall, stretching her arms toward the sky for a beat before resuming her run.
She was in control. Not Alex. It’d been more than three years since she’d ended their relationship. They were over and there was no way she was going back to him. Ever.
Still, she couldn’t deny the unease she felt at his words. How did he know she wasn’t at her place? And why, after three years, would he suddenly call? Had he conveniently forgotten how things had ended between them? With her threatening to get a restraining order.
Alex had taken a job in Kansas City not long afterward. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since then. Her threats of filing a complaint against him had obviously worked. So why was he contacting her now?
The truth was, she didn’t care and had no desire to find out. She wasn’t afraid of Alex. She’d taken defense classes. She could take care of herself if she needed to. Yet, she’d scrapped her plans to return to California and opted to stay at the resort instead. Liam had comped their housing through the wrap-up meeting following the volleyball tournament, not long after Labor Day. She hadn’t intended to take him up on it. But when she heard Alex’s voice mail, her blood had run cold. She’d canceled her flight home and hired a trainer to work with her in Pleasure Cove.
Bree came to a stop, hands on her hips, sweat running down the side of her face. She checked her pulse. Good, but not great. Breathing heavily, she plopped down into the sand and pulled her cell phone out of her armband and checked her email. Her sporting-goods sponsor was making the final decision on a new line of volleyball attire branded with her name. She needed to review the designs and give her input on which pieces should make the final cut.
No email from the sponsor yet. There was an email from Lisa Chastain with the subject “Changes to Program.” She scanned the email, her heart beating faster.
That jerk.
Wes apparently hadn’t liked her idea about making the event a family-friendly one. It wasn’t part of the original plan, but it was important to her and Bex. They planned to lead volleyball camps for kids aged eight to seventeen. What better way to build a relationship with her target clients than to involve them in the Pleasure Cove tournament?
Wes clearly didn’t agree. Was this his way of getting back at her?
Only one way to find out.
Bree searched the tournament contact list for Wesley’s number. She inhaled a deep breath, then clicked on the number. The phone rang several times then went to voice mail.
“Hey, this is Wes. Not available right now, but leave me a message, and I’ll get back to you.”
The beep sounded and her heart stuck in her throat, leaving her speechless for a moment. “Wesley, this is Brianna Evans. I just saw the email about the changes you’re requesting. I’d like to discuss it. Please call me back as soon as you get a moment.”
Bree finished her run, determined not to think of Wes or Alex.
* * *
Five hours later, Wes hadn’t answered her original message or picked up the two times she’d called since then. Maybe her behavior was coming dangerously close to that of a stalker. Bree didn’t care. This was important. There was no way Liam would side with her over Wes. Miranda and Lisa were enthusiastic about her idea during the meeting, but she doubted they’d have much sway over their boss if he was backing Wes on this.
